THERE are certain rules in regard to correct letter-writing which
must be followed by all who would "take their pen in hand." Young people
are the most apt to offend in this respect against the accepted canons
of good taste and it is to these that I would first address the contents
of this chapter. A young girl often lets her high spirits run away with
her amour propre, with the result that her letters, especially
those addressed to strangers, are often lacking in that dignity which is
the sine qua non of correct correspondence.
Consider, for example, the following two letters composed by Miss
Florence ......, a débutante of New York City, who is writing to
a taxidermist thanking him for his neat work in having recently stuffed
her deceased pet Alice. The first of these letters illustrates the evil
to which I have just referred, viz., the
complete absence of proper dignity. The second, written with the aid of
her mama, whose experience in social affairs has been considerable,
shows the correct method of corresponding with comparative strangers.
